One player to choose to start a franchise? You can have Sidney Crosby.

I’m taking Jonathan Toews.

I’m taking the 25-year-old who already has two Stanley Cup rings and two Olympic gold medals, a player who intrinsically seems to comprehend what it takes to win and with a willingness to do whatever it means to get there.

For the second Olympic Games in succession, Toews was Canada’s best forward: His line with Jeff Carter and Patrick Marleau, was Team Canada’s strongest line throughout the Olympic hockey tournament.

He’s not fancy like his teammate, Patrick Kane, or as offensively gifted or driven as Crosby, or with a rocket shot like Steven Stamkos, or even with Phil Kessel’s speed: He is just complete. As absolute and certain as there is in today’s world of hockey.

Time was Crosby stood alone as the Canadian face of hockey. He still does, points-wise. But in my mind, there is now a 1 and 1a in Canadian hockey, to use the Randy Carlyle terminology. You can have 1. I’ll take 1a.

And I’ll count up my championship rings and medals later.

THIS AND THAT

Dave Keon’s favourite NHL player, by the way: Toews ... Once you saw Team Canada’s game plan in Sochi, it was clear why Martin St. Louis was not originally chosen for the roster. And why he barely played once added. He wasn’t big enough. The Canada mandate was for big-bodied, puck-controlling, cycling wingers. That’s not St. Louis’ game ... One reason why the NHL might not want to return to the Olympics: The way the Games diminished its awards. Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban was mostly a scratch for Team Canada, Art Ross Trophy winner St. Louis hardly played and Hart Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin was a non-factor for the Russians. Not exactly NHL advertising ... If Kessel didn’t know before the Olympics he was world class, he knows it now. The forever-hard-to-figure Kessel is a top-10 forward in the world ... The best thing the Leafs could acquire at the trade deadline: A healthy David Bolland ... It’s not surprising that Steve Yzerman is stepping down as general manager of Team Canada. This season was particularly challenging from the inside and out, trying to balance his own team’s needs, his needs, Team Canada’s needs, personal hockey relationships: If Yzerman was willing to open up, this could be a book or a certainly a Canadian docu-drama.

HEAR AND THERE

Canada did not win the medal standings, but brought home more medals than any other country competing in the Winter Olympics. Confused? With victories in men’s and women’s hockey and men’s and women’s curling, and medals won in team figure skating, almost 90 Canadian athletes came home with medals from their 25 podium events in Sochi ... The undefeated Jennifer Jones rink may never be together again in competition. The reason: The likely move of Jones to Ontario where her boyfriend and father of her baby girl, Brent Laing lives ... Garth Snow is difficult to figure at the best of times. He understandably got angry when John Tavares was injured at the Olympics and yet he was angry when Kyle Okposo wasn’t named to Team USA. So what is it, you want your players at the Olympics or you don’t want them there? ... No one was happier to have a gold medal around his neck than Matt Duchene. No one ... Isn’t the Team Canada cycle-game blueprint the same system Carlyle has been trying to get the Maple Leafs to play this season, without much success. The plan is fine: The Leafs execution has been mostly regrettable.

SCENE AND HEARD

Ryan Miller makes the St. Louis Blues better — but how much better? Better than the Blackhawks with Toews, Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp up front? Better than the Sharks with Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Marleau and Brent Burns at forward? Better than the Ducks with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry? The Blues trouble as a contender: They are big and solid up front, but devoid of stars. You need stars at centre to win Stanley Cups. They don’t seem to have that ... One more St. Louis note: The Blues have the second best goals against average in the Western Conference, which is typical Ken Hitchcock hockey. How many stops does Miller make now that Jaroslav Halak or Brian Elliott wouldn’t make? ... How dysfunctional or comical have the Montreal Alouettes become? Well, start with an owner Bob Wettenhall and his son hiring coach Tom Higgins without informing the general manager and former coach, Jim Popp, who has only been on the job the past 18 years and remains as GM ... That was nice of agent Scott Boras to point the finger at Blue Jays’ ownership for not spending appropriately on their team. Just one question for Mr. Boras: Which sure-thing pitcher (aside from the unattainable Masahiro Tanaka) was worth throwing huge money at during this off-season? Who? Can’t think of a single top of the rotation pitcher available ... Can’t remember seeing a gold medal winner look as unhappy as St. Louis appeared in the mixed zone in Sochi on Sunday afternoon ... Worth keeping an eye on after the collapse of Team USA: How do general manager Ray Shero and coach Dan Bylsma get along in Pittsburgh? And what happens if the Penguins tap out in the playoffs once again? ... Good thing about Team USA in Sochi: Nobody trashed a dorm room after giving up in the bronze medal game ... Weird part about the impact Yzerman and Mike Babcock had in the Team Canada win: Neither gets an Olympic medal. Only players get them ... If Tuukka Rask isn’t the best goalie in the world right now, who is? ... Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson were the Olympic all-stars on defence, which slighted Shea Weber, the best defenceman in the tournament ... Raptors’ Dwane Casey has to be a coach of the year candidate in the NBA. Question is, can he beat out Frank Vogel in Indiana, Terry Stotts in Portland or Jeff Hornacek in Phoenix?

AND ANOTHER THING

The truth of these Olympic hockey tournaments: There were 52 games on the men’s and women’s schedules. Maybe five were memorable. The women’s final makes you forget how mundane so much of men’s and women’s tournament was ... Memo to big ice advocates in the NHL: Time to be quiet ... Word around the Olympics was that Rogers is targeting CBC star George Stroumboulopoulos to host its NHL broadcasts next season after it couldn’t secure James Duthie. And it’s all but been confirmed that Paul Romanuk will be Rogers’ second play-by-play man, after Jim Hughson in the No. 1 chair ... Subban could have sulked big-time in Sochi a la St. Louis. Instead, he handled his Olympic assignment with class and aplomb ... All my life I’ve been calling it Russia. Didn’t know the natives call it Roo-see-ah ... He can play on my team: Alex Pietrangelo ... My favourite Olympic tweet repeated: “4 yrs ago I was drunk on a couch & said I wanna go to the Olympics. 4 yrs later I’m drunk on a couch at the Olympics.” Canadian bobsledder Tim Randall ... Happy birthday to Jay McClement (31), Chris Bosh (30), Tomas Kaberle (36), Henrik Lundqvist (32), Jon Bon Jovi (52), Susan Auch (48) and Ben Roethlisberger (32) ...And hey, whatever became of Andrew Raycroft?

THE SIMMONS CURSE IN SOCHI

Canada won 10 gold medals in Sochi: I managed to cover just one of them.

I went to see Charles Hamelin skate for his second gold medal in the event he dominated in short track speed skating. He fell. Without being pushed. On his own.

I went to see Patrick Chan make history by being the first Canadian man to win an Olympic figure skating title. All he had to do was be average on the final night. He didn’t have to be great. As Joannie Rochette tweeted, the gold medal was handed to him on a silver platter, only he took the platter.

I went to see Roz Groenewoud honour the memory of Sarah Burke in the ski halfpipe event, only to watch her succumb to the emotions of the night. She was admittedly completely off that evening, finishing seventh.

The one gold medal I did cover: Team Canada’s absolute victory over Sweden. The last event of my cursed Games.

BJOERNDALEN SIMPLY THE BEST

The most dominant winter athlete in the world is a name you probably do not know.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen won his 13th Olympic medal in Sochi in biathlon and for the fifth straight Games won at least two medals in his sport. No one in Winter Games history has won as much as him.

The 40 year old now is owner of eight gold medals, four silvers and one bronze. To put that into context, the eight gold medals happens to be the same number Canada won as a nation in the six Olympics between 1976 and 1994.

In addition to his two gold medals in Sochi, the first time the Norwegian had won that many since taking home four from Salt Lake City in 2002, Bjoerndalen finished fourth in two other events. The 94-time World Cup champion — can you believe that, 94 victories? — has not confirmed whether he will compete in South Korea in four years time. If he had a jersey, by then someone would be retiring it.

SWEDEN HAD NO CHANCE

Much was made about Nicklas Backstrom being pulled from Sweden’s lineup for the gold medal ice hockey game, but not enough was said about the strange Swedish decisions made that didn’t involve allergy medication.

Start with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, for my money a top-15 NHL defenceman, who barely played for Sweden. Why? Coach Par Marts didn’t think he was good enough.

Go then to Victor Hedman, who plays for Steve Yzerman in Tampa. He didn’t get picked for the Swedish Olympic team. Why? It’s as curious a decision as the benching of Ekman-Larsson, who in some games didn’t play a single shift.

Go then to Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild. He is strong and solid on the back end. Sweden could have used him, didn’t choose him to play.

So with Backstrom out, Henrik Zetterberg, Henrik Sedin, Johan Franzen hurt, Ekman-Larsson not playing regularly, and Hedman and Brodin not on the roster, what was left played for gold. It would have been hard enough to win with all their players in place: With mistakes, injuries and poor coaching and questionable roster decisions, Sweden had no chance against Team Canada. No chance at all.

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You can take Crosby, I'll take Toews - and win

One player to choose to start a franchise? You can have Sidney Crosby.

I’m taking Jonathan Toews.

I’m taking the 25-year-old who already has two Stanley Cup rings and two Olympic gold medals, a player who intrinsically seems to comprehend what it takes to win and with a willingness to do whatever it means to get there.

For the second Olympic Games in succession, Toews was Canada’s best forward: His line with Jeff Carter and Patrick Marleau, was Team Canada’s strongest line throughout the Olympic hockey tournament.

He’s not fancy like his teammate, Patrick Kane, or as offensively gifted or driven as Crosby, or with a rocket shot like Steven Stamkos, or even with Phil Kessel’s speed: He is just complete. As absolute and certain as there is in today’s world of hockey.

Time was Crosby stood alone as the Canadian face of hockey. He still does, points-wise. But in my mind, there is now a 1 and 1a in Canadian hockey, to use the Randy Carlyle terminology. You c